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User Reviews for: The Last Starfighter

corruptednoobie
5/10  6 years ago
For a film about forced heroism, it really forces the "wow" factor down your throat. At the time, it was the most CGI in a film. Clocking in about half an hour of pure computer effects. For this reason, it has aged horribly. Looking like the cutscene from a PS1 game, it was too ahead of its time. Giving it the uncanny valley feeling while watching.

The characters here are the worst part sadly. Our protagonist Alex is boring and is only doing well when acting off himself. Which, to me, were the best parts of the movie. Grig was okay for his part, but I never found myself liking him. Which they seemed to want you to. Plus, seeing the whole movie through, the ending really seemed off the most. Centauri was good in a Galaxy Quest alien kind of way. But again, the conclusion with all these different characters doesn't seem right.

The bad guy is just that. He's bad, he has a motive to be bad. Do we know? Maybe? I didn't pay attention to any exposition they may have given him if they did. Because I was so bored with him after a few minutes. Just a reason for the special effects and plot to move forward. He left no lasting impression on me except that he was annoying as hell.

Plot is bland yet has a whimsical flow. The underlying message is a strong one that we don't see much. Except again, the conclusion ruins it. I did enjoy myself seeing this product of a time where technology was advancing in the film industry. Playing on the ideas of creative what-ifs in the 80s. Nick Castle knew what he was making. A homage to all those that came before and putting a child's wish onto the screen. Spielberg was obviously a heavy influence for Castle for this movie. Family tropes that don't quite work here, but are definitely how Spielberg would set it. Another influence is Star Wars and Star Trek as the designs of sets and aliens were very close to some in those works. _As I believe the set designer actually worked on Star Wars before._

But the question remains. Is The Last Starfighter a decent movie? Actually, yes. The CGI may be overly distracting, the villain may be over the top bad. But it still holds itself up somewhat in the end. An adventure you would want to see as a kid in the 80s. One to see yourself in. Is it a great movie? God no. If they focused on the main character's arc more then maybe it would have been better. But honestly, this movie was never meant to be a film that you'd watch to analyse and get your few cents of quality filmmaking. No, this is a flick you watch to either laugh at, laugh with, or to have an adventure that is simple and fun. In the right ways. The Last Starfighter is an okay movie. But I'm glad my father forced me to watch it.

**5.2/10**
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